World Golf Tour

Ozarks Open Reduced to 54 Holes

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Rain once again played havoc with the Buy.Com Ozarks Open, forcing officials to suspend Saturday's second round and cut the tournament to 54 holes.

Saturday's second round was delayed four hours at the start because of heavy rainfall. Thanks to early evening storms, play was stopped once again and players will return to Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Mo., early Sunday morning to complete the second round.

This is the first time that a Buy.Com Tour event was cut to a 54-hole event since the 1999 Upstate Classic.

Steve Haskins has the lead in the clubhouse at 13-under-par 131 after he fired a 7-under 65 in the second round. He completed four holes of round two on Friday and came back with four birdies in his final five holes to grab the lead.

Omar Uresti (67) is alone in second place at 12-under, followed by Iain Steel (68) at minus-11.

Haskins, the Buy.Com Tour's all-time leader in starts with 272, has learned to cope with the weather delays.

'I remember how the anxiety really got to me. I kept wanting to go out and finish it up,' said Haskins. 'I'm sure it bothers everybody, but over the years I've gotten used to it. I've realized that there's nothing you can do about it, so you try to relax and stay focused.'

Uresti believes that the shorter the tournament, the more pressure there is on scoring.

'Knowing that it was going to 54 makes you think a lot more about birdies,' said Uresti, who owns the Tour's record for consecutive birdies with nine. 'You can't let too many people get away from you.'